


A Blooming

by WandererAimie



Series: The Unchosen One [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-11-04 06:24:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10985202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WandererAimie/pseuds/WandererAimie
Summary: (Part of my Unchosen One verse in which Noctis is Regis's second son and didn't exactly make as much of a miraculous recovery from the deamon attack in his childhood and his accent to the throne is unknown)  When a new kid is announced in class the last thing Prompto expected was to make a friend and then something more of the sickly young Prince of Lucis.





	A Blooming

**Author's Note:**

> This story started as a drabble I began to write for a RP partner of mine which turned into a ficlet, which turned into a whole RP verse.
> 
> Its an AU but more of a rearranging of canon events with some added bits. I plan on writting some more structured stories with in this verse.
> 
> For now this is a beginning....
> 
> Special thanks to SunshineTechnophile on tumblr for inspiring this and helping me proof read as well as IgnisxMillitaris on tumblr for your proofreading input as well!
> 
> Just so you know there is some medical TMI mentioned in this but nothing explicit.

An uneasy peace has settled over the prosperous kingdom of Lucis ever since the Empire of Niflheim declared ceasefire and withdrew their armies from Lucian lands.

The peace is tense however. While Niflheim has yet to overtly step onto Lucian soil their armies can be seen poised on the edge… waiting.

War hero King Regis Lucis Caelum has returned to the Lucian capital of Insomnia and since had two sons.

The first born is Ardyn Lucis Caelum. Well liked by the Lucian nobility Ardyn is possessed of an otherworldly charisma. However his succession is unknown for the crystal has yet to shine it’s light on him making him anxious. In the meantime there are silent rumors that he might be colluding with Niflheim.

10 years Ardyn’s senior is the second son of Lucis: Noctis Lucis Caelum, who is very much the apple of his father’s eye because he bears all the looks of the Lucis line along with his mother’s stunning blue eyes. Regis’s beloved wife the queen died in childbirth making Noctis rather precious to his father through the tragedy.

Even at a young age Noctis shows signs of becoming the crystal’s chosen but his poor health and reclusive attitude do not win the young child favors with the nobility despite his known compassion.

And then when Noctis was 9 the ‘accident’ happened. A royal convoy was attacked by daemons outside the city. Noctis is severely injured before Ardyn manages to turn the tide on the creatures to save the day.

Noctis makes a valiant recovery but forever bears the scars of that day both physically and mentally. He is left paralyzed and in chronic pain. His succession is forever clouded and the nobility turns it’s back on Regis’s favorite son.

Regis is determined though for Noctis to have a place in the world. He sends Noctis to public school and when the boy turns 16 he sets the teen up with his own household and surrounds him with the best staff and advisors.

~~~~~

"Everyone. We have a new student today. Please welcome Noctis into our classroom."

Prompto sat in the back of the classroom, flicking through photos on his digital camera, pretending to be invisible as usual. He was a quiet kid, who kept to himself. He didn't have many friends in the school but to an extent his loneliness suited him. He was used to it. And it insulated him from the rampant bullying his excess weight seemed to have earned him.

Keeping to himself allowed him to watch, listen and hear things. If he didn't let people in-- no one could hurt him.

"Noctis? Does she mean the prince?" Came a whisper from the girl sitting directly in front of him as she turned to her friend in the next seat. 

"Well I don't know too many people with that name."

"But like don't the royals keep to themselves? I mean why would they even want to come to a school like this?"

"Well she did say Noctis, that's like the second son so it's not like he's super important."

"Right, the one that got in the accident?"

"I think so? But like, wouldn't that make him a vegetable?"

There was more whispering going around having to do with the possibility of having a prince in the classroom. Prompto really could care less, it just meant there was another entitled brat entering the school and not much else.

"Noctis, why don't you come into the classroom," the teacher called. 

He looked up, noticing that the door was being held open. 

Silence. He could hear the sound of rubber on tile, the quiet clinking of something mechanical. The classroom waited with baited breath.

And really the entrance of Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum into their classroom was rather unremarkable with a few exceptions. 

He was a normal looking child. He wore normal clothes, a simple hooded sweatshirt, tee, cargo pants and sneakers. His black hair was in a messy bowl cut with bangs that fell in his face making his skin looked rather pale. His lips were small and pursed, and Prompto could see the lower one tucked nervously behind white teeth. 

However, all of his clothes were stark black. And there were other things that were shortly commented on as the classroom once again found its voice.

"I guess they were right, the prince is a cripple," was the more jarring of the whispers. 

Indeed, the small child presented before them was seated in a wheelchair, of which it seemed he struggled to move as it was a bit too big for his slight stature. The teacher positioned him in the front of the classroom, letting eyes fall on him with increased scrutiny.

And Noctis only seemed to make himself look smaller, still biting his lip, his hands rested in his lap, clenched slightly, his knuckles slowly turning white as their gaze intensified.

He was being fed to the sharks and his anxiety was palpable. 

"Alright class, why don't you introduce yourselves to Noctis here. First your name and your favorite hobby."  
~~~

"Can I eat here?"

Prompto looked up from his camera at the voice, small and timid. The source more than surprised the boy who was used to eating his lunch alone.

"Um, sure y-your Highness...."

"Noctis," he said bluntly. "Please just call me Noctis."

Noctis pushed his chair up close to the picnic table, placing the tray of food he had been balancing on his lap onto the bench part of the table. He carefully opened his milk carton and set it back down before reaching for a small bag hanging off of the arm of his chair. 

"You're Prompto, right?" He asked. 

The blond nodded, watching the other child retrieve a set of pill bottles from the bag.

"Thank you for letting me sit here."

"Y-you're welcome," he stammered. 

Noctis counted out his medication and swallowed the pills with the grace of someone who obviously did this several times a day before chasing them down with a gulp of milk.

"I like the quiet." 

"Sorry?"

"No no I didn't mean it that way. I like that it's just us here. No questions."

Prompto's eyes scooted about the playground taking note of the cliqued up groups and he fact that this table was one of the few that was on the pavement. 

"I get it now."

They smiled at eachother brightly.

"You said you like taking pictures right?"

"Yeah," Prompto answered. "Do you mind... if I took one of you?"

"If I can have a copy."

~~~~  
There were many things that Prompto learned about Noctis in the next few weeks. The raven haired prince was extremely intelligent, yet quiet and reserved. He was blunt and didn't like to be bothered by incessant questions. He quickly earned a reputation as a loner and just like Prompto, the status suited him just fine. 

Also, Noctis wasn't about to let his chair or his disability get in his way. Prompto never asked what was wrong or how it happened, he didn't need to know. He wasn't nosy like the other kids.

Noctis's royal blood hardly factored into any conversations, in fact they forgot it was there.

Then one day Noctis wasn't there sitting at his desk in the front of the class, nor was he the next.

A week passed.

"Ma'am?" Prompto asked. "Is anyone gathering Noctis's homework?"

He knew just how important Noctis's studies were to him. He was aspiring to enter law school.

"Yes dear," the teacher answered.

"Can I bring it to his house for him?"

A quiet chorus of giggles erupted. 

"Yeah let's see him walk his fat ass up to the citadel. 'Hello King Regis, I have your gimp son's homework'."

"What does he care anyway. The kid gets preferential treatment he, doesn't even need to try for top marks."

The teacher remained stone faced.

"I think that's a great idea. I will see what we can do," she said.

It was dismissal by the time the teacher found him again. Prompto had given up hope at that point. Maybe someone was picking it up already, even though it was customary for students to bring the work to their fellows.

"Prompto, I got a hold of someone in Noctis's household. They are going to be sending a car for you soon."

Sending a car?

But sure enough as he stood on the school steps waiting, a sleek black sedan pulled up and honked the horn. True black cars were unusual in Insomnia, and Prompto couldn't help but discreetly snap a few photos before he opened the rear door and climbed in.

The car's interior was also black, and the soft leather squelched slightly as he situated himself and reached for the seatbelt. 

Prompto walked home most days as his parents were rarely home. This was something new for him.

He peered up into the driver's seat finding, a young man seated there in a tailored white shirt with black pinstripes and neatly groomed brown hair. He a pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose before turning slightly.

"You are Noctis's friend, correct?" 

The accent threw Prompto through a bit of a loop, and his manor of speech did not mesh with the man's age which he had guessed was only a few years older than himself and Noctis, which would place him firmly in highschool.

"Yes," Prompto replied with a nod.

"Alright."

The young man slipped the car into gear and begun to pull away from the curb. 

Suddenly, Prompto realized the gravity of the favor he had asked. He was bringing the Prince of Lucis his homework by chauffeured car.

Quietly, he watched as the houses flew past. It seemed as if they were not heading toward the citadel as he would have thought. No, that was a different part of the city that he was familiar with since he had gone there to take pictures more than a few times. The neighborhood they entered was residential, filled with decent sized homes with tidy yards and fences around each property. 

The streets were tree lined and well maintained, he could see people out walking with children and dogs.

At last they came to a yard sectioned off by a brick wall and gate, the driver waited patiently for it to open before pulling the car inside. 

Prompto's eyes widened as he looked at the home. While it was no palace it was still one of the nicest houses he had ever seen. It appeared to be one story with an elegant stone facade and classical details like window pediments and a porch with columns that included a drive under overhang of the driveway that lead to the heavy oak front door. 

"Whoa," escaped his lips earning him a sideways glance from the driver as he slid the car into park and cut the engine.

The other young man exited the car and opened the door for Prompto before proceeding to lead him inside. 

The short entrance hall opened up immediately into a sizable living area furnished with expensive looking couches and a large TV. Everything looked planned out and spacious with plenty room to move about. 

A plump woman with salt and pepper hair who was wearing a black dress and apron greeted the pair warmly. 

"Ah, Ignis. This must be Noctis's friend right?" She asked with a smile. 

Prompto gave a shy nod. 

His eyes were drawn to some movement behind them as a figure languidly rose out of a chair. A tall man of about twenty or so dressed nicely in a black suit and a large over coat. Purplish black hair framed a slightly unshaven face and disapproving eyes.

"Martha, as I said before I find this highly inappropriate," he said.

She looked coldly at him with an air of exasperation.

"You do not run this household, Your Highness, I do. Your brother needs a friend."

Highness? Was this man the other Lucian prince?

She quickly cut off any further retorts by moving her body between the two of them before leaning forward. "Its alright, why don't you follow me dear," she said taking Prompto's hand.

"I will go see about supper then," the other young man said as he turned towards the kitchen.

The older woman lead him across the living room towards a hall that ran off to one side. All the while he could hear the elder prince's boot falls behind them, his coat swishing from side to side. 

The hall lead to a sliding wooden door that she moved to the side and motioned for him to walk in. 

By the furnishings, at first it would be hard to tell this was the bedroom of an eleven year old boy as everything threw off an elaborate air, but the dim room was illuminated by the blue light of a TV that seemed frozen on the END GAME screen of a video game and there were a few comic books strewn over the large bed. 

Prompto still couldn't get over how small Noctis looked in his surroundings, his black hair and shirt in stark contrast to the white of the comforter that covered him up to his armpits as he slept listlessly in a mountain of pillows. His hand lay motionless next to the game controller. And the other... his heart sank.

He had little knowledge of medical things but he was certain having wires coming out of the hand was not a strange attempt to emulate a science fiction movie and that those leads obviously served a function as his eyes followed them to fluid filled bags suspended from a stantion at the bedside. 

"You can sit next to him on the bed, he should wake up soon," she said.

"I can't approve of this. I think the boy has seen enough. He was just here to deliver coursework nothing else," the other male said slipping into the room behind them. His voice like sugared wine grated in the silence.

As if on cue, Noctis began to stir out of his sleep with a whimper. Blue eyes cracked open and he seemed to be staring daggers right through the man. 

"Go away, Ardyn. I think me and my kidney infection can deal with the company," Noctis groaned, his usual blunt words blending into the weariness in his voice. "What, are you afraid he might see me piss blood?"

"You are under the effects of medication and cannot comport yourself."

"Tell my kidneys to comport themselves they love it when you use large words."

"Noctis."

"Go whine in front of dad."

"Ardyn, I think it is time for you to leave," Martha chimed in using her body to block him out of the room before she slid the door closed.

"Its alright," she said in Prompto's ear, the vitriol gone from her voice. 

"I'm sorry on behalf of my brother, he cannot help but be an asshole it's just in his nature," Noctis said with a weak smile. 

Prompto returned the smile just as weakly, a sudden shy nervousness settling over him. He was clearly unwanted here by at least one person.

And gods, urinating blood was not usual. Maybe Noctis was far too sick to have company if that was happening. What if he hurt him somehow? He was scared. 

"Um, I have your homework for you," Prompto started. "I, I'll just leave it with your mom so you can sleep more."

"You can stay," Noctis sighed.

"But your brother...."

"Is a dickhead."

"But you said there's blood coming...."

"I exaggerated? I mean yeah there's a little because of the infection but mostly I'm just in a lot of pain."

"What if I hurt you?"

"I'm paralyzed," Noctis replied candidly. "You can't possibly hurt me more than that... Besides, I don't think you would."

That was the first time Prompto was confronted with the reason Noctis was in that chair to begin with. The chair that sat idly by his bedside. All the scattered rumors made sense. 

And the look in Noctis's eyes conveyed a loneliness that sunk Prompto's heart. This was a prince of Lucis, a child isolated by station and an unspeakable tragedy. 

He walked towards the large bed and heaved himself up on the side away from Noctis's IV lines. The prince let out a small whimper of pain as the mattress moved but he smiled through it. 

"I'm sorry," Prompto responded, anxiety rising in his throat. 

"No, it's alright. The inflammation in my kidneys makes my back tender. It's ok."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I want you here," Noctis replied with a tone of sincerity that was unlike anything the blond had heard in a long time. 

And for Prompto, the child whose parents were too busy to spend any time at home with him those words: 'I want you here,' meant the world to him. 

"I'll leave you two boys alone for a bit then," Martha said as she took her leave when she knew the two would be alright together.

"Your mom is nice," Prompto said.

"She's not my mom," Noctis replied. "She's my nanny. But yeah she's one of the nicest people I know."

The blond carefully lifted the heavy bag of books and papers up onto the bed placing it down gingerly so as not to pain Noctis any more than he was. Noctis began to leaf through them eagerly.

"Thank you for bringing these. Martha's been getting my assignments for me but its not the same as having you here. I miss school even if the kids are brats."

Prompto giggled as he looked about the room again, eyeing the comics on the bed.

"You read Justice Monsters Five?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's not bad."

"We should go to the arcade some time."

"I'd like that."

"You can't beat my high scores though."

"That's not fair," Noctis giggled despite the discomfort doing so caused.

~~~~~~

A strange eight years had passed. Prompto idly tapped out the gate code, shifting the heavy load of books on his shoulders before the keypad beeped and the gate unlocked allowing him onto the property. 

It was late evening, just before sunset and a wind was blowing through the neighborhood. He was tempted to snap a few pictures but he had already wasted enough time. 

Hopefully Noctis wouldn't be too upset with his dawdling.

He walked languidly up to the front door and walked into the house, depositing his shoes by the door. 

He could hear the sound of the stove and soon enough Ignis poked his head out of the kitchen, eying the blond with a gut piercing glare. 

"The doctor left an hour ago," he said. 

"I got Noct's books from the library."

He already felt guilty enough for bolting out before. 

"Alright. I'll have supper in a bit."

Prompto waved him off and walked back into the living area. 

The house now resembled more of a bachelor pad since Martha retired and two 19 year old boys lived there on their own. Scattered throughout the room were framed photographs, documenting a blooming relationship spread out over many blissful moments.

It was hard to say when the feelings between them had grown into 'more', but it was a natural easy progression. Nothing was forced and they were hardly physical with each other. When asked either of them would say they were just best friends, but Noctis's inner circle could figure things out on their own. 

Love felt awkward on their lips but they couldn't deny it either. 

He returned to the bedroom, sliding back the door to reveal a scene much like the one he had witnessed years before. Noctis was sleeping in bed, and Prompto could tell that this was more an effect of the drugs from the way the prince was whimpering quietly. 

A sinking sensation filled his stomach as he bit his lip. This infection was far worse than the one Noctis endured before, and the guilt Prompto felt about leaving returned. There was a myriad of medical weirdness that the blond had grown accustomed to since he met the paralyzed prince. 

But watching the doctor 'express' Noctis's bladder, pressing down painfully on his abdomen until bloody urine was released, proved to be too much for him. 

So he walked out of the house. He knew Noctis had some books reserved at the library for his law classes so he used that as an excuse to take a walk to clear his mind of the mental image of just how close the love of his life had come to needing serious hospital care. 

And more than that it was seeing yet another person 'purposefully' hurt Noctis in an attempt to help him that turned into an all too painful metaphor for the Prince's life. His friend, his lover, was one of two Princes of Lucis locked into a battle to figure out who would ultimately succeed on a throne that would literally kill him. 

Noctis had said once that this seemingly ceremonial martyrdom was what was necessary to protect the people. His life would be the cost of the peace as his father before him. And on the surface Noctis seemed to accept the fate that could perhaps be his. But Prompto knew the depths of the depression that marked his beloveds life and how his impending end weighed just as heavily on him as the fact that this fate was yet to be decided. 

And now Noctis's health was yet again hanging in the balance. Sadly bladder and kidney infections were a small symptom of the fact Noctis had no nerve sensation below his waist and couldn't always control what happened below there. 

While acute, they had caught the infection early enough that antibiotics, pain relievers, fluids, and rest were all that was needed. 

Prompto walked over to the bed and sat down gently on the edge knowing just how much pain the other was in. The book bag was released onto the floor before he gently scooted closer to his sleeping boyfriend, curling protectively around him, fingers carefully reaching for raven hair. 

Noctis stirred under his touch, raven eyelashes fluttering until slits of blue appeared. A low breathy whine left his dry lips. 

"Hey," Prompto started. "Uh, sorry for skippin' out on you. I um got your books for you."

"It's ok, dear," Noctis responded softly. 

He might have been in pain, but seeing that face, freckles and all made the moment so much better for him.


End file.
